Lee leaders consider Monday the purchase of 4,000-acre Edison Farms

KELLY FARRELL

3:30 PM, Apr 10, 2011

In this 2009 file photo, Jennifer Hecker of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida addresses the Marco island City Council. Kelly Farrell/ Staff

Ray Judah

BONITA SPRINGS - "This is the single, largest most important conservation parcel left in Southwest Florida ... perhaps in the state," said Jennifer Hecker, director of natural resource policy for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

Lee County Commission Management and Planning Workshop

Commission Chambers

2120 Main St., Fort Myers

Monday, April 11, 2011, 1:30 p.m.

One of the largest Southwest Florida government land acquisitions in years may soon make the Lee County shopping list.

The 4,000-acre Edison Farms parcel in southeastern Lee County is on the list of 24 properties nominated for purchase consideration in the county's Conservation 20/20 program. It has been on the county's, as well as other government agencies', wish list for years due to its value, particularly as a water resource and protection against area flooding.

"This is the single, largest most important conservation parcel left in Southwest Florida ... perhaps in the state," said Jennifer Hecker, director of natural resource policy for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

The $170 million asking price makes it the most expensive on Lee County's property acquisition list. Weighing price, government purchasing power and conservation value are the key factors in what are to be informal discussions between commissioners and staff at a workshop scheduled for Monday afternoon, officials said.

Instead of conservation, other proposed uses in the past for the Edison Farms land have included road-grade rock mining, large private development and a site for the Boston Red Sox spring training stadium. The last idea was nixed when commissioners chose another site farther north.

Portions of the Edison Farms land, owned by a group of private companies, are being used for agriculture, particularly cattle farming.

It is the largest property on the list of 24 parcels being considered for county purchase. However, the current list price has several officials balking.

"I have been very vocal in this area," county lands director Karen Maguire said. "We do not believe that is going to be the actual valuation. We think it's going to be much less."

The purpose of the commission's Management and Planning workshop Monday is to hear from commissioners whether there is enough interest to put this land purchase on a formal commission agenda and have the property appraised, Maguire said.

The owners of the land, Edison Farms and AgriPartners, who listed an address in Bloomfield, Mich. on their county application, nominated the parcel following the commission's decision not to make their land the home of the Fenway South stadium.

The eastern portion of the land is owned by AgriPartners and the western portion is owned by Edison Farms. Representative Jason Wagner was listed on the application dated July 1, 2010, but he couldn't be reached for comment.

Lee's Conservation 20/20 program was created by voter approval in 1996. The money in the program comes from a tax of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. There is about $25 million available, which would be enough to purchase 22 of the 24 properties, Maguire said.

Conservation 20/20 dollars and other grants would be needed to purchase the Edison Farms' property, which is east of Interstate 75 and south of Corkscrew Road, she said.

Instead of conservation, other proposed uses in the past for the Edison Farms land have included road-grade rock mining, large private development and a site for the Boston Red Sox spring training stadium. The last idea was nixed when commissioners chose another site farther north.

"This land serves a multitude of purposes. Water filtration is desperately needed in that area," Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah said. "The main thing is accepting, storing and filtering rain water runoff."

Conservancy of Southwest Florida officials, state and federal agencies and environmentally conscious residents have sought to conserve the wetlands for years. The land is a watershed, contributing to area water quality and human water supply, as well as a habitat for panthers and many bird species, officials report.

Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah said he sees great value in the county acquiring the land.

"This land serves a multitude of purposes. Water filtration is desperately needed in that area," Judah said. "The main thing is accepting, storing and filtering rain water runoff."

The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit organization that often purchases a property temporarily until it can be permanently protected by a government agency, is among the anticipated partners if commissioners agree to move forward.

Purchase also may require a long-term phased approach, the Conservancy's Hecker said.

The South Florida Water Management District, Florida's Forever Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are agencies with documented interest in preserving the land.

The Edison Farms property is just north of the National Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and is located within the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW).

CREW, an Estero-based nonprofit organization, seeks to coordinate acquisition because Edison Farms' land is part of the 60,000-acre watershed straddling Lee and Collier counties.

At least one of the five Lee commissioners is clear on his ultimate goal.